This sermon by Joshua Daniel emphasizes the dangers of selfishness and covetousness in the last days, warning against the love of money and the prioritization of material possessions over spiritual values. It calls for a return to sacrificial giving, selflessness, and love as exemplified by Jesus Christ, highlighting the need to resist societal pressures that compromise Christian beliefs and values.

Welcome to the Lord's Challenge with Joshua Daniel. The Layman's Evangelical Fellowship International is a ministry reaching people from all walks of life since 1935. After a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ at the age of 16, Joshua Daniel has been declaring the marvellous deliverance from sin, which is freely given to all those who turn to the loving Saviour. Wherever this message has gone out, broken relationships have been restored, sickness healed, ill-gotten money returned, and thieves turned into givers. We now invite you to watch and receive the invaluable blessing that God has for you. You know, as a great contrast to what we have been studying during these days, a church free from selfishness. We have this very cryptic warning, clear warning in scripture, 2nd Timothy 3rd chapter, 2nd Timothy 3rd chapter. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, bolsters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy. Now, all these are surrounding us today. Men shall be lovers of their own selves. You know, friends, unlike the United States, which, where the states came together, and many of their chapters read, although they were established by different people like the pilgrims, Puritans, Quakers, and so on. They had one common goal, to exalt Jesus. But, Europe has, in trying to form the European Union, they did not take into account the history of the various countries, because some of them are completely without the gospel, and they expect that Germany will put most of the bills and the heavy deficits. They are not able to make their due contributions to the Union. There is a vast disparity there, and that's not to be overcome politically, you see. Now, truth has become a worldwide casualty, and anybody who brings out the truth, a whistleblower, for instance, is hated, is hunted. All right, there are certain state secrets which should be preserved and kept to a few, but when you are dealing with a whole population, as though everyone is a potential terrorist, what happens? You cultivate a suspicious mind, you know, as though somebody is trying to get you. Here, the Bible says, men shall be lovers of their own selves. You know, there are some nations that simply cannot understand Christian giving. Oh, they say, oh, someone is sending money, and you're converting the people. I challenge such fellows. Hey, look here, stop all the monies coming into the country if you want, but you will see that the cross of Jesus Christ produces people of sacrifice. That's the amazing thing. When the government over at our headquarters wanted to bring in a new law, in fact, they did, by which churches were going to be taxed. Well, of course, it was the privilege of churches and Christian missions to be free from that kind of taxation down the centuries. All right. So, I was told, now that the government has passed a new law, we need to get into this system. We need to register concerning any funds that are coming in. I said, I will not register because we are not dependent on funds from anywhere. When sacrifice dies amongst us, then the fellowship is dead, and we don't care, you see, to register about foreign funds because we are not dependent, nor were we ever dependent. So, to this day, even if people want to send some help, they can hardly do so, you see. I say, come on, you take care of your immediate surroundings. And don't think that, oh, this kind of handouts are necessary. You know, my dear friends, when sacrifice dies, when selfishness rises, sacrifice dies. There's hardly anything called sacrifice today, you see. Oh, you mean to say giving the small change to God is sacrifice? Or giving the tithe is a great sacrifice? Certainly not. That is minima. That's what any person should do in acknowledgement of the many gifts which God gives. You see, I reckon everything that is mine to be the Lord's. That's it, and that's final. So, by the cross of Jesus Christ, I was delivered from the love of money, which is the root of all evil. You see, my dear friends, one of my relatives, during my first visit as an unmarried young man, I preached in a church in New York. One of my relatives said to me, hey, if you preach like this, who will give you any money? That was the last of my considerations, you see. Oh, there are people from abroad who come here and gather a lot of money and go. But who will give you anything? My dear friends, should truth be subservient to money? Is truth the handmaid of Satan? No, that can never be. Men shall be lovers of their own selves. Oh, the selfishness of people. You know, some people are so busy earning money that they have left their children with their old grandparents. That seems to be quite a pattern in these money lovers. What do grandparents know how to bring up children? Grandparents only spoil children, you see. But money has become the central thing, that's it. And God has told us, these are perilous times. Money dictates everything, you see. And men shall be lovers of their own selves. Covetous. Why should I look at something which my neighbor has? Let him enjoy it. Let it be a blessing to him and his children. Now, God in his wisdom may not give me the same. Why? Why can't I rejoice? Does not my Bible teach me? Thou shalt love thy neighbor as yourself. You see, my dear friends, these are very fundamental questions. You see, don't think that Jesus Christ requires patronage. You may be the richest man in the world, but let me tell you, Jesus does not require your patronage. It's terrible. You see, when money begins to dictate everything, then you're literally a slave. You get a slavish mind. You can't think straight. You begin to soon envy the other person. You see, don't forget that the next sin which the Bible speaks of is covetousness. The last commandment, the tenth commandment, tells us that we should covet nothing that belongs to our neighbor. Covetousness. As one farmer said to me, I could never stand it if my neighbor's fees were greener. I sometimes apologize to our neighbor. You know, we have perhaps one of the smallest little places in the subdivision, but our neighbor keeps his lawns so meticulously. I enjoy looking at it, and I say, Oh, what a pity that you have us for a neighbor. You see, we try to keep our place tidy and green and beautiful, but nothing like my neighbor's garden. You see, that would require a lot of time, which we simply don't have. But, you know, he's such a good friend of mine. He even volunteers to manure our garden, fertilize our lawn. You see, but we don't give such jobs generally to him in spite of his graciousness. Why should I be covetous? Let my neighbor's garden be beautiful. He's a diligent worker and goes home and does his chores and loves his family. And certainly that rejoices my heart. Only I pray for him, and his little boy comes to us. Granny and Granddad, he calls me. And any time he may knock at the door, and we must have some chocolate ready. Oh, it's a delight. But a covetous bird can't see your neighbor prosper. What's that? That's the devil's way. That's not Christ's way. No. Covetous boast. You know, the tendency to display something which we reckon as a glorious trait of ours, or some possession of ours. You see, what is your greatest status? What is it? What manner of love is this, that we should be called the sons of God? Is there any status greater than that? No. You see, how many I find. I was speaking to a very high official in Delhi, and he said to me, one of the first questions you asked me was, did I study as a Christian, or under a false name, just to get the advantages that the government gives? And of course, I had read, I studied, and got my doctorate, and so on. As a person who did not claim to be a Christian. In other words, I was ashamed of Jesus Christ, and did not represent the fact that I was really born into a Christian family. And I classified myself with the other idolaters. Immediately I got to work, and changed my status altogether. Notwithstanding the fact that I might lose many advantages, and get even declassified to a lower rung in my office. Well, you see, my dear friends, as a preacher of the word of God, I have to be honest, you see. And there are too many people who are ashamed of Christ on Monday morning. I tell you, I cannot understand how a Christian nurse, or a Christian doctor can hold his post in the European Union. There was a time when Britain tried to maintain its independence, but slowly it is getting subservient to the European court. Can't speak to a patient about Jesus Christ, the greatest physician, the healer of the incurable. What's that? And should I bow to that law? Would Daniel have bowed to that law? No. But today we find the spirit of compromise. It is so strong that preachers are succumbing to it. You know, we'd better not offend. All right, then what do you preach? The gospel? Jesus is a rock of offense. Follow me. Take up your cross. Let's pray. Holy Father, we want to be people with clear motives. Love, love, love, love. Love as the overwhelming motive. Even as the love of Jesus took him to the cross. Let us be truly motivated with love, Lord Jesus. Not selfishness, not greed, not pride, nor covetousness. We just want to walk in your footsteps. So help us, Lord Jesus. In Jesus' name, amen. I was living. He gave his life, blood for even me. Oh, what a Savior. Oh, what a Savior. You can email us at post at L E F I dot O R G. Or visit our website at L E F I dot O R G. Our mailing address is L E F I P O Box 1072 Armadale W A 6992. Until we meet again next week, may God bless you.